Embracing “AND”
Business is messy and full of polarities. Polarities are competing forces. Balance is not necessarily the right answer. The institutions which can lean into the polarities listed below will thrive in the 21st century. The global and digital economy of today is not a scarce world full of “OR” but rather an abundant economy full of “AND.”
Howard Schultz has set a great example when he reemerged into leadership scene of Starbucks. What struck me as the most profound aspect of his story and turnaround of the business was his acknowledgement of the polarities surrounding his turnaround. The greatest visionary companies do not balance competing interests with an OR mentality but rather seek to thrive and lean into both sides of the competing forces.
Schultz leaned into the polarities. These were the ones he so eloquently shared in his book Onward:
Shareholder Value AND Social Conscience
Profit AND Humanity
Local AND Global
Innovation AND Heritage
Tradition AND Modern-Day Relevance
Cut Costs AND Invest
Efficiency AND Romance
Head held high AND feet firmly planted
Encouraging AND Pushing
Entrepreneur Vision AND Patient Execution
Entrepreneur Enthusiasm AND Rigor Complex organizations
Efficiency AND Romance
Jim Collins has articulated the forces visionary companies are able to lean into: (Built To Last)
Change AND Stability
Conservative AND Bold
Low Cost AND High Quality
Creative autonomy AND consistency
Invest in future AND do well in short-term
Purpose beyond profit AND pragmatic pursuit of profit
Fixed core ideology AND vigorous change & movement
Conservatism around the core AND bold, committing, risky moves
clear vision & sense of direction AND Opportunistic experimentation
Big Hairy Audacious Goals AND Incremental evolutionary progress
Selection of managers steeped in the core AND selection of managers that induce change
ideological control AND operational autonomy
extremely tight culture AND ability to change, move, and adapt
Invest for the long term AND demands for short-term performance
philosophical, visionary, futuristic AND superb daily execution “nuts & bolts”
organization aligned with a core ideology AND organization adapted to its environment